Renegade on the Run
by shadowblade-tara
Summary: Season 4 AU. Dean dies, but he doesn't go to Hell. Someone is there to make sure that doesn't happen. This one soul changes everything that comes after.
1. Chapter 1

Supernatural © CW. Not mine.

So this is just an AU idea of season 4. Something fun to work on. It can be one chapter or multiple, depending on how you like it. So if you want more, you gotta let me know, kay? Now – onward!

**Renegade on the Run**

Dean Winchester dies on May 15, 2008. He dies, as he knew he would, as he hoped he would not. He hoped and prayed they'd be able to beat that deal, but apparently, fate is not on his side.

Or so he thought.

He doesn't go to Hell. He can practically hear Lilith screaming in frustration, but she can't touch him. Instead he finds himself surrounded by a Presence. It pressed on him from all directions, not smothering, but soothing. It makes him smile.

_This is not the way it ends._

Dean closes his eyes. The Presence is accompanied by Light, and it hurts to look at it for too long. Best to keep his eyes closed. _Can I go home?_ He doesn't ask the question aloud, but he knows the Presence hears him.

_That body is no more. _

This doesn't surprise Dean. He was a hellhound's chew toy. Honestly, right now he doesn't care about the body. _But can I go home? Sam needs me._

_Yes. That is why I'm here._

There's a sound like wind, and Dean has the impression of movement. It's hard to tell with his eyes closed and that all-encompassing Light around him. _I made the deal._

_Yes. And I arrived too late._

_You were gonna save me? Why?_

The Presence doesn't answer. For some reason, this doesn't bother Dean. Normally he'd be fuming at being ignored, but he tolerates it with the Presence. Actually, calling it a Presence doesn't feel right. Presences don't have emotions – and Dean can feel the emotions of this one clearly. Anger, guilt, relief – this one feels it all. So the Presence needs a name.

_Will you stay with me?_

_If that is what you want._

Dean remembers a story his mother told him, about the littlest angel named Castiel. Dean had always shortened it to Cas in his head. He doesn't remember anything else about the story other than the name.

In that moment, before the Light and Presence fade, he decides to call it Cas.

/-/

On May 17, 2008, Dakota Hollings wakes for the first time in three years. The doctors declare it a miracle. Her muscles have not atrophied, she can still speak, and she seems perfectly aware of her surroundings even as she cusses out the nurse who tries to take a blood sample. She appears to be a perfectly healthy 27 year old.

Her parents are happy. They have their little girl back. The first time she opens her mouth, though, that happiness fades.

Dakota doesn't remember her own name. She doesn't remember her parents or her best friend since sixth grade. She demands to see someone named Sam, but Dakota has never had a brother. The doctors wind up sedating her. She's been on life support for three years, at the family's insistence. Obviously, while her body is fine, her mind is not.

The drugs wear off somewhere around midnight. Dakota wakes to the presence of a man in her room. He's short, although probably taller than her, with shaggy hair and the bluest eyes she's ever seen. He wears a trench coat, but she can still recognize that Presence anywhere. She smiles.

"Guess you weren't kidding, huh?"

He smiles faintly. "I keep my promises. You asked." His voice is low and rough. Dakota decides she likes it. "I suppose you'd like to see Sam."

She sits up a little straighter. "Hell yeah." She starts to stand up, then looks down at herself. "I need clothes. Someone's gonna try to lock me back up, I go out like this." The Presence nods and tossed her something. She takes a look at the clothes and grins. "How'd you know?"

He offers that faint smile yet again. "I touched your soul, Dean Winchester. I know a lot about you."

Dean looks up at him. "I really am Dean still?"

"Yes. Dakota Hollings died three years ago. Her parents just didn't want to admit it."

"Good. Because I gotta tell ya, I've experienced a lot of weird shit in my life, but waking up in a woman's body is a new one for me."

"It was the closest empty body I could find. Time is of the essence in transfers. If you take too long, it doesn't work." The Presence turns his back politely as Dean gets changed. He takes a moment to admire his new form, decides it's good enough for his liking (you know, lacking obvious bite marks, all in one piece, that sort of thing) and returns his attention back to the Presence.

"Lead away, Cas."

The Presence blinks. "Cas?"

Dean grins. "That's your name now. Cas – short for Castiel."

Five minutes later, the doctors arrive to find the room empty. Cas and Dean are long gone.

/-/

Sam hides at Bobby's after it happens. He burns Dean's remains, just like he would have wanted, grabs a bottle, and hides. He doesn't drink it, and he never comes back out for another one. He just sits there on his bed and stares at the bottle, as if wishing Dean would just magically appear and snatch the bottle from its place on the nightstand. Probably mutter something about wasting good whiskey. Yeah, that'd be Dean.

Slowly, after a few days, he starts helping Bobby out around the house. After all, he's letting Sam just crash there with barely no explanation, not that the old hunter needs one. It's almost a week after Dean's death that he hears a knock on the door. He doesn't even think about answering it.

The sight surprises him. There's a man in a trench coat with unnaturally blue eyes and a young woman with a mess of curly black hair and green eyes that remind him way too much of Dean's. Hell, even the way she dresses is like Dean – jeans and boots and a beat-up leather jacket. Sam tries to hide the hurt with a friendly but empty smile. "Can I help you?"

The woman sighs. "Sammy."

And suddenly Sam _knows_. Only Dean has ever been able to say his name like that – full of relief and guilt and love. He's the only one to ever call him Sammy and not make him sound like a kid, but like his _brother_. He starts to shake, the tears threatening to fall once again.

The woman's eyes widen. She automatically reaches out, but stops just shy of touching him. A small frown furrows her brow, and she starts to back away.

Sam grabs her and pulls her to him in a bone-crushing hug before she can even think of it. The tears flow freely, and all Sam can say is one word.

"Dean."

Dean grins. "In the flesh, little brother." She pulls back a little and looks up at him. "Dammit. Now you're really taller than me." Sam chokes on a laugh. His eyes flicker from Dean to the man behind her. Dean shrugs. "That's Cas. He kept me from going to Hell."

Sam nods to him. "Thank you."

"It was the least I could do." Cas straightens a little. "I should explain."

"Come in. We'll have to explain things to Bobby."

Dean groans. "He's gonna make me drink Holy water, isn't he?"

"Yeah, but at least he won't make you cut yourself with silver." Sam quips.

Cas stands by the door, watching the two find each other again. Suddenly Dean turns around an motions him forward. "C'mon, Cas. You're family too."

So he follows them inside.

/-/

An: So whaddya think? Worth more chapters, or fine as is? Or is this one of those The hell were you thinking, Tara?! moments?

Oh, and if you're wondering why Dean is so chill about this, ask for more chapters. You'll find out what happens when it suddenly sinks in he's been gender-bended.


	2. Chapter 2

Well, three people asked for more, so here's a tentative second installment. Let me know if you want a full-blown story out of this, okay? I've got the idea, I just need to know if you wanna hear it.

**ch 2**

Explaining things to Bobby is actually easier than Dean expected. He makes Dean drink a shot of Holy water (Cas too, but he doesn't even flinch; Dean has to tease Bobby about it) and decides that it's probably not a supernatural evil coming to kill them all. Sam isn't exactly hovering, but he's sitting so close to Dean she can feel the heat from his body. Cas sits on the chair across from Sam and Dean's couch. Bobby paces.

"So, yer – what, exactly?" Bobby asks.

Cas sighs. "An angel of the Lord." he says. Sam shoots Dean a triumphant grin; Dean just rolls her eyes. Cas continues. "I was sent to prevent Dean from going to Hell. I was a bit too late."

"He's still here, ain't he?" Bobby points out. "Well, she's still here."

"Right, Bobby, rub it in." Dean slouches into the couch and closes her eyes. "It's still weird looking down and seeing boobs, even if they are small ones."

They both ignore her. "I was supposed to arrive before Lilith's hellhounds killed him." Cas explains. "Like I said, I arrived late. I did manage to keep his soul from Lilith's contract. She won't be pleased."

"Who sent you to save Dean?" Sam asks, leaning forward.

"God."

Dean can't help but snort. "Not that I don't believe you, but why would the Big Man want anything to do with me?" she demands. "It's not like I've been some big believer or something. Not like Sasquatch here." she concludes, jerking her thumb at Sam. Sam promptly punches her in the arm (which hurts a lot more than she remembers – either he's gotten stronger, or her new girl-body has a lower pain tolerance) and Dean decks him back. She grins. "Sasquatch."

"Oh hush."

Cas just gives them both a look that has both of them cracking up. He shakes his head. "You've always believed, Dean. You just never thought He cared."

That shuts both of them up. Dean stiffens. "How do you – never mind, don't have to ask. So, what, this is His way of showing He does give a crap?"

"Something of the like." Cas tilts his head to the side. "Demons prefer to work in the open. They scare people with their very presence. Angels like to work in the shadows. We do our best when no one knows it's actually us. That's why you two have stayed alive as long as you have. Some of us are assigned to particular humans or families. I was assigned to Dean."

Now he has their complete attention. Dean stares at him. "What about Sam?"

"Sam has his own angel. However, I think something has gone wrong." At this, Cas stands up and starts pacing. "He shouldn't have died, Dean shouldn't have had to make a deal, none of it should have happened!"

Dean stands up, eyes widening. "Cas, wait, slow down." She reaches out and manages to catch the edge of the angel's coat. It's enough to make him stop. "Please. Just – just calm down, all right?" She tilts her head, catching his eye and making him look at her. "C'mon, Cas. It's okay."

Cas shakes his head. "It is not okay, Dean. Something has gone wrong. I just don't know what. Sam's angel should have stopped the soldier from killing him, but that didn't happen."

"So who's Sam's angel?" Bobby asks.

"Our names are hard to pronounce." Cas says. "That's why Dean calls me Cas."

"Castiel ain't exactly hard to say." comes the expected retort. Cas shakes his head.

"Dean gave me that name as well."

For a moment, everyone just stares at Cas. Then their eyes turn to Dean. She shrugs. "What? It was the first thing that came to mind, okay?" She shoves her hands in her pockets. "So I gave him a nickname. Do a guy a favor and suddenly everyone just stares at you."

Bobby pinches his nose. "Well, any doubt I had about you just went out the window."

"You suck, Bobby."

"Shut it, idgit." He returns his attention to Cas. "So something ain't right in Heaven? Is that what you're saying?"

"Or on Earth." Cas sighs. "There's one angel who is in charge of the other angels on Earth. We all take our orders from him. He's the one who ordered Sam's angel to stay away that night. He also ordered me to leave Dean to her fate."

Dean blinks. "So why didn't you?"

"Because I take my orders from God."

For a brief moment, everyone just stands around. Dean claps her hands together. "That's enough weirdness for one night. I'm going to bed. If I make it that far. I may just pass out face-down on my floor. If my new boobs don't get in the way."

Sam calmly puts his face in his hands. "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that."

Bobby isn't looking at the siblings, but his shoulders are shaking and he can't quite hide the smirk threatening to break out on his face. Cas just watches the two of them with something akin to a smile on his face. Dean's starting to get the impression that angels don't show emotion the same way humans do. She grins at him. "Whaddya think, Cas? Share a room with me? I'll even let you have the bed, considering how comfortable the floor is looking right now."

Cas almost says he doesn't sleep, but suddenly he realizes that's not why Dean is making the offer. Instead he nods and follows her into her room.

Downstairs, Sam and Bobby exchange looks. "Well, Dean's not dead, but he's a girl now. I think God has a twisted sense of humor." Sam says flatly.

Bobby laughs. "And a girl with tiny breasts at that. God's not just twisted – He's downright mean."

Sam can't help it. He bursts into hysterical laughter that Dean and Cas can hear on the second floor.

/- /

An: Obviously, this chapter does not take itself seriously. There will be humor mixed in with this, because come on – a girl Dean? That's just asking for hilarity. So – more chapters, last chapter? Let me know what you want, and I'll deliver.


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